XN000022-1984-11-21 — Page 7

5

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 1984

+WE WILL CONTINUE TO RETURN ALL ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS TO CHINA, MR JEAFFRESON STRESSED.

THE NEW IDENTITY CARD, WHICH WAS VERY DIFFICULT TO FORGE, WOULD MAKE IT VIRTUALLY IMPOSSIBLE FOR ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS TO GET AWAY WITH ILLEGAL DOCUMENTATION FOR LIVING IN HONG KONG, HE SAID.

HE TOLD THE COUNCIL THAT THIRDLY, THE POLICE HAD STREAMLINED THE IR PROCEDURES FOR CHECKING I.D. CARDS AND, WITH THE HELP OF THE IR COMPUTER SYSTEM, THEY COULD CHECK SUBSTANTIALLY MORE EACH DAY.

+

FOURTH, TO MAKE IT DIFFICULT FOR ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS TO GET WORK, THE POLICE, IMMIGRATION AND LABOUR DEPARTMENTS WERE MAINTAINING A HIGH LEVÉL OF OPERATIONS AGAINST THE EMPLOYMENT OF PERSONS WITHOUT VALID I.D. CARDS, PARTICULARLY IN FACTORIES, RESTAURANTS AND ON CONSTRUCTION SITES.

FIFTH, THE POLICE, ARMY, NAVY AND IMMIGRATION SERVICES WERE CONTINUING TO MAINTAIN THE IR VIGILANCE ON THE BORDERS.

FOR THE SEA BORDERS, THE POLICE AND THE NAVY WERE TO BE REINFORCED WITH NEW VESSELS.

ON THE LAND BORDER, THE FENCE WITH ITS LIGHTS AND ALARM SYSTEM CONTINUED TO PROVE EFFECTIVE.

THE ARMY HAD RECENTLY DEPLOYED THERMAL-IMAGERY EQUIPMENT

TO IMPROVE THEIR NIGHT VIEWING CAPABILITY.

THE POLICE HAD ALSO RECENTLY IMPROVED THE IR CAPABILITY ON THE LAND BORDER BY DEPLOYING ADDITIONAL MANPOWER AND BY REORGANISING THEIR COMMAND STRUCTURE THERE.

HE POINTED OUT THAT OF THE TOTAL OF ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS CAUGHT OVER THE PAST SIX MONTHS, SIGNIFICANT INCREASES HAD BEEN IN ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS ARRESTED ON ENTRY, NOT IN EVADERS WHO SURFACED IN HONG KONG.

1

+ IT MAY BE STILL A BIT TOO EARLY TO DRAW FIRM CONCLUSIONS FROM THESE STATISTICS, BUT GIVEN THE IMPROVED METHODS WE HAVE FOR DETECTING EVADERS, IT LOOKS AS IF OUR FORCES ON OUR BORDERS ARE BECOMING EVEN MORE EFFECTIVE IN INTERCEPTING ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS AS THEY TRY TO CROSS INTO HONG KONG,+ MR JE AFFRESON SAID.

16

I